Grandpa

     My Grandpa passed away unexpectedly this past Saturday morning, April 23rd.  It is so hard to believe still and I think most of my family remains between the stages of shock/disbelief and grief.  We received the call on Saturday morning from my sister saying he had passed away peacefully in his sleep while taking a morning nap in his lazy chair.  He was a wonderful man whom I will miss tremendously.  The past week has been a blur of emotion.  We had just gotten together as family the previous weekend for birthday celebrations and dinner.  That day, as we were saying goodbye, I kissed him on the cheek and told him I loved him.  He replied I love you too.  Unknowingly, these are the last words I would ever share with him... 
     Below is what my sisters and I wrote for his burial and also a link to his obituary by clicking HERE.  Thank you to all for the prayers, phone calls, and emails... 

"The three of us grew up spoiled- we were our Grandpa’s only grandchildren and he loved us immensely. Some people do not grow up to be close to their grandparents, but that is not the case in our  family. Grandpa helped shape us into the women we are today. Every graduation, birthday, holiday, wedding, and birth of a great grandchild, Grandpa was there. We grew up sitting on his lap, working in his woodshop, going to the zoo, swimming in the lake, and listening to his stories. Yes, he did walk to school uphill both ways in the snow, barefoot, in his only pair of overalls… He was a strong man, a Godly man, a great man. Without him, we would not be who we are today. Our family will never be the same with his loss, but we know he is with Jesus. While it will remain hard on us the months ahead, we know he is celebrating his eternal life in Heaven. We will carry him in our hearts and cherish our memories of him."